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Frequently Asked Questions
Why didn’t the Village choose lake water or some other source for water?
The Village, from the late 1980s through 2008, has looked extensively at various upgrades to the Village's water production system, including options for moving to lake water.
The Village Board and various commissions and committees reviewed options to move to lake water during the following periods. During each of these periods the community elected to continue using its aquifer system.
- 1983
- 1988
- 1998
- 2008
How is the Village's water infrastructure funded?
The Village operates using fund accounting. A fund is a self-balancing set of accounts, segregated for specific purposes in accordance with laws and regulations or special restrictions and limitations.Each fund has a distinct purpose, ranging from operating expenses to funding the various activities or capital projects of the organization. Fund accounting is a system of accounting which emphasizes accountability rather than profitability, and monies from various funds cannot be transferred to other funds.The water fund, which handles all of the Village's operational and capital expenses for water production and distribution, is an enterprise fund. An enterprise fund establishes a separate accounting and financial reporting mechanism for municipal services, for which a fee is charged in exchange for goods or services. Under enterprise accounting, the revenues in expenditures of services are separated into separate funds with their own financial statements, rather than commingled with the revenues and expenses of all other government activities.Water and sewer infrastructure has been funded by general obligation debt and low interest IEPA loans that are repaid through user charges from the enterprise fund.
More detailed information regarding the Village's budget can be found through the Finance Department and the annual budget.
How often is maintenance required on the Village's wells?
Maintenance on the Village's well system is typically infrequent. Approximately every ten to fifteen years the wells do need to be pulled and reconditioned. This reconditioning typically involves the reconditioning of the well pipe, inspection and reconditioning of the pump well and motor, and inspection of the well shaft. Maintenance typically takes approximately six weeks depending upon the volume of work needing to be done. Below is information on when each of the wells have last been reconditioned.
- Well #1 - 2014
- Well #3 - 2015
- Well #4 - 2010
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) currently rates the United States’ water infrastructure as “poor”. Water production systems across the country have infrastructure that was constructed during the mid-20th century, and those systems are now reaching the end of their life. Much of the Village’s infrastructure for the water system dates from the 1960’s or earlier and improvements to Village’s system began with the reconstruction of our new water treatment plant. Further improvements to the entire distribution system will be needed, all of which would require upgrades regardless of whether the Village was on aquifer or lake water. These upgrades include improvements to the Village’s water towers, residential meters, and water mains.
The Village’s water fund is an enterprise fund, and improvements are not paid for with property tax dollars. The Village also does not have a large sales tax base to supplement funding, so improvements to the water infrastructure are funded almost entirely through the water bills. Unfortunately, water infrastructure is also one of the most expensive to replace and upgrade. The replacement of one block of water main costs approximately $100,000, and with nearly 52 miles of main within the community there is a substantial capital investment which will be required moving forward.
Information regarding the Village’s water infrastructure can be found in the 2014 Water Infrastructure Report. Additional information on the United States’ water infrastructure can be found on the ASCE 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure.